Found And Lost Again
by lilyan1994
Summary: When Lily, the Guardian Of Strength, is warped into a different dimension, her world is turned upside down. Trapped with no powers, her Dark Side back, and no means of getting home, she and her new Guardian friends are on a race against darkness itself to find her a way back to her own universe, before it's too late. (Disclaimer: I don't own ROTG or the book series, only my OC's.)
1. Chapter 1: Attacked And Rescued

**Hello! lilyan1994 here, and welcome to my newest story, Found And Lost Again!**

 **Now, this story was inspired by s/10568857/1/ThThe-Wrong-Universe, and it's a really great story, so I suggest that you check it out! Anyways, on with the chapter!**

It was a dark, cold night in Toronto, Ontario. No moon shone in the sky to show the way, for dense clouds blocked it's soothing light. It was on this night that the Guardian Of Strength was sitting on the thick branch of a pine tree that resided in front of her old school. She sighed, trying to get more comfortable. As you might have guessed, sleeping on a branch isn't very comfy. But it was what Lily was used to. Sure, North would have happily given her a room at The Pole, but...Let's just say that Lily wasn't used to having people that _cared_ , so to speak. She was always used to being ignored, or being made fun of, or other not so nice things.

She reclined back against the trunk of the tree, sighing softly. As she drifted off, though, she failed to notice a strange, silvery fog that glided in her direction.

If only she had.

The mist moved quicker and quicker with each passing second. Soon enough, it swallowed up the child Guardian. And when it did, it disappeared into the cool night air.

Taking The Guardian Of Strength along with it.

* * *

When she awoke, Lily was surprised to not feel the hard wood of a tree under her. Had Jack or one of the others found her, and taken her to The Pole? But, no, what was under her didn't feel like a bed...She opened her eyes, and sat up, looking around. It was night, wherever she was. All around her were trees, thick oaks that seemed like they were alive, with how they swayed in the soft wind. She cocked her head to the side, confused. She'd never seen _this_ place before, and she'd been _everywhere._ So, _where on this good earth_ was she?

"What do we have here?"

Hissed a very familiar voice, one that made Lily's panic level spike. What? That was Pitch! But, how? She had helped get rid of the darkness inside him, but Kozmotis had died...Back to the point, though, HOW WAS THIS POSSIBLE?!

"You must be foolish, coming here at night, child...Everyone knows that **I** am it's ruler!"

Black, shadowy beings raced towards Lily from all sides. She immediately got to her feet, and expected light to shoot from her hand. But it didn't. She glanced down at her hand, her eyes widening in shock. What? She attempted to surround herself with a wall of ice. That didn't work either. She stared blankly, wondering how the _hell_ any of this was happening. But she was snapped back into reality by one of the shadow creatures slamming into her. She cried out in pain, grabbing at her side where the creature had hit her. Realizing that she was surrounded, and seemingly defenseless, she did the first thing that came into her mind: Call for help.

"Jack! Help!"

She called, trying her best to dodge the shadows that seemed to swarm, connect with each other and move in perfect synchronization. Nobody responded to her plea.

"North, Bunny, Tooth, Sandy!"

She yelled, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Why weren't they coming? They, they _promised_ that they'd always be there for her, so why weren't they here now? She started running, as fast as she could, ignoring the pain that began to blossom in her chest. Jumping over roots, even _bushes_ to try and get away from those _things._ She misstepped and tripped over her own two feet, before crashing to the ground, letting out a cry of pain as her left ankle twisted violently. She tried immediately to scramble away, but she felt something grab her hair and yank her back.

"LET ME GO!"

She screamed, thrashing and kicking at whatever had her captive. Her vision was blurred with tears of physical and emotional pain, _why wasn't anyone coming to help her?_ Just as she was about to lose hope of any help whatsoever arriving, a streak of light suddenly flashed before her eyes, there was an inhuman screech of pain, and whatever had it's hold on her disappeared. All of the adrenaline that had been previously flowing through her veins disappeared in a heartbeat. She layed limp on the forest floor, trying to catch her breath. All the while, she heard what sounded like sounds of battle from nearby. Also, what was that glowing spectral figure...? It looked like a...boy...? Her mind was too clouded to even attempted to make sense of it. She felt sleep tugging at her, inviting her into it's comforting silence. Without thinking, she happily accepted. Maybe this was all just a dream, and she would wake up back in her tree.

She dearly hoped for that.

* * *

Nicholas St. North panted, slightly out of breath, as he sheathed his sword. He looked back at the other Guardians. Toothiana was scanning the clearing, as if looking for any other signs of the Fearlings. Sandman was doing the same. Bunnymund was muttering to himself, and the former Cossack thought he heard the Pooka mention eggs a few times. He then looked to Nightlight, who was staring at the still form of a girl lying in the grass.

North and the others had heard the scream during a meeting in Big Root. Katherine had been asleep at the time, and therefore had not heard it, and Ombric had stayed behind to make sure that nothing could get into the magical tree. North walked calmly to the girl, and the other three Guardians copied him. None of them recognized her from Santoff Claussen, so she must not be from the magical village. The girl had long, golden-brown hair which hung in loose waves over her shoulders. She wore a loose, grey tunic, and navy blue tights. She wore no shoes, and her face and arms were covered in scratches, and they could tell that her ankle was injured by the way it was slightly twisted at an odd angle.

North bent down, lifting the girl up gently in his arms. He began walking towards the exit of the forest, through the town and towards Big Root. The moon shone down, and when Sandman looked up at it, he was surprised to see that it looked almost...ashamed? Each Guardian shared the same thought at that moment, the same question: Who was this girl, and how had she gotten here?

Little did they know, they were in for an unexpected adventure...One that may or may not destroy them.


	2. Chapter 2: Can I Trust You?

**Hello, and welcome to Chapter 2! You guys will find out who The Guardian Of Strength is, and how she came to be...If you can piece it together. I'm going to put small snippets of her memories in the chapters from here on out, so make sure that you pay attention. They are important, and the key to understanding why Lily is the way she is. Anyways, on with the chapter!**

* * *

The moment that Ombric laid eyes on the girl in North's arms, he knew that it would be a while before he got to sleep. Ushering North and the others inside, the wizard conjured up a bed, which the girl was set down on a few moments later. Ombric looked over her injuries, doing what he could to heal them. It was around five minutes of silence, and the old wizard mumbling spells before he spoke. "Where did she come from? I've never seen her before..." He muttered, seemingly to himself. He turned to North and the others, asking about what had happened. Soon enough, all of the adult Guardians were speaking with one another. As all this was happening, Nightlight had gone closer to the girl. His moonbeam then said a word to him; just a single, innocent word, but the spectral boy knew it's meaning.

 _Lily._

And Nightlight couldn't help but agree with the name. He had seen the flower before, and this Small One(or Tall One, he couldn't decide; she looked like a bit of both), looked slightly alike the spring bloom; her skin was pale in the slightest bit, and her eyes were a light green, with-Nightlight then realized that Lily's eyes weren't _supposed_ to be open. He stumbled back a few steps, startled. He bumped into Toothiana, who then turned and also saw that the girl was awake. The quuen then sharply elbowed North, and the Russian was about to retaliate when he, too, saw the child's state. There was a moment of staring between them, before anyone said anything.

"Well. I was not expecting you to wake so soon." Ombric muttered, supposedly to himself, and then North spoke. "Well, now that you are, well, awake, we might as well introduce ourselves. I am Nicholas St. North, but everyone just calls me North. Could you tell me who you are?" The man asked, crossing his arms over his chest. The girl said nothing, but raised an eyebrow, as if she didn't believe him. After a few minutes of awkward silence, the Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies spoke up. "I am afraid that we cannot do anything for you if you don't tell us who you are, child."

She said in the most comforting voice she could muster. Nightlight looked from Toothiana to Lily, right before he began to hear a voice in his head. He was confused by this. He could only hear the other Guardians voices in his head. This Lily wasn't a Guardian. Was she? Nightlight then decided that he didn't like the confusion that he felt. _Who are these people? Where am I? And why in the good name of the Bartlett's does that boy keep staring at me like that?_ Nightlight heard. It was then that Lily spoke for the first time since she had woken. "How do I know that I can trust you?" She asked, a wary look to her face. Toothiana raised an eyebrownafter a few seconds, but smiled. "Smart move to make, child. But, please, be rest assured, we shall not harm you. I-"

"Her Majesty is quite right," Bunnymund suddenly cut in. "I mean to say, we _did_ save you from those Fearlings. If we meant to cause you harm, why didn't we do it already? Sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I get carried away sometimes. The name is Bunnymund, E. Aster Bunnymund to be exact. Would you mind telling us your name now? It is getting quite tiresome with you, "beating around the bush," as humans put it."

"Well, excuse me, but when the last thing I remember is nearly being dragged off by shadows, I have a right to be the slightest bit distrustful, don't I, Mr. Know-It-All?" The girl snapped back. North chuckled, smirking. "I like you already. And, you do have a point, that is true." North grinned. Lily, Nightlight observed, looked surprised for a moment, before smiling ever so slightly. "Well...I guess I could tell you my name, at least. Lily. It used to be Lillian, but it got changed a while back. As for how I got here...I don't know. I went to sleep in my tree, and then I woke up in those woods, and got attacked." She explained, sitting up. But, her eyes widened in panic when she saw a strand of hair that had fallen into her face. "Oh, crap..." She whispered, so quietly that it was nearly impossible for The Guardians to hear. But they could tell by the look of horror that flashed across her face that something must be wrong.

* * *

 _All she saw was darkness._

 _All she ever knew was darkness._

 _Tiny little voices, whispering lies in her ears was all she ever heard._

 ** _"Nobody cares,"_** _they said._

 _ **"Nobody knows your name."**_

 _But then, after what felt like centuries in her dark, endless void, there was a spark of light._

 _The spark soon grew so bright, brighter than anything she had ever seen before. It nearly blinded her, it shone so bright. And, then there was a kind voice-it seemed to chase every last bit of the fear and darkness away._

 ** _"Don't worry, my child."_**

 _The light grew ever brighter, banishing the darkness that surrounded her._

 ** _"I will protect you."_**

 _Who was this voice? It must be good; it made the cold and dark go away._

 ** _"You shall never be alone again."_**

 _She wanted to believe that what this voice was saying was true._

 ** _"I promise, little_** _**Lily."**_

 _She wanted to believe in the promise it made to her._

 _...So she did._

* * *

 ** _Lemme guess, a little more confusing and I could become the next Oogway?_** ** _Yes, I indeed just quoted Po from Kung Fu Panda 3._** ** _Well, there will be more in the future._** ** _And, like I said before, you will make sense of it eventually if you pay attention._**

 ** _Anyways, this is lilyan1994, signing off until the next chapter!_**


	3. Chapter 3: Something's Wrong

**Hello, and welcome to chapter three of** ** _Found And Lost Again!_**

 **There is something in this chapter that i think you will all find... _interesting,_ to say the least.**

 **Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed the last chapter, and please be prepared, this is a long one!**

* * *

Jack was confused, as were all of the other Guardians. They were supposed to have a meeting tonight, but Lily wasn't there. She was _always_ there. She _never,_ I repeat, _never_ missed a meeting. This made The Guardians worried for their (by far) youngest member. The last time that she'd been late to a meeting...It made Bunnymund, North, and Jack, most of all, furious to even _think_ about it. It could be said that Jack had _more_ than just lost it on those other spirits. And when the Guardians of Wonder and Hope had seen how...well, they were about to lose it, too, and go hunt down those spirits themselves, aiming to give them more than just a talking-to, mind you.

But now, here they all were. North was sitting patiently in a chair, looking over the _Naughty_ and Nice Lists(Christmas WAS coming up, so why not?), Bunnymund was crouched in a corner, painting an egg to try and get his mind off of his worries; Toothiana hovered nervously in the air, flitting about as she tried to calm her own fretting with thoughts of getting out into the field again after this meeting. But, it didn't seem to work like the other times. The Sandman was hovering in the air, sleeping soundly, seemingly having not a care in the world as he slumbered on. Jack, however, was the most restless out of all of them. He paced back and forth a few feet in front of the fireplace, glancing every few minutes at the grandfather clock that stood in the corner. Every tick it made seemed to annoy the Spirit Of Winter more and more, until he sent a bolt of ice towards it. It covered the clock, and effectively silencing that _infernal_ ticking noise.

North looked up from examining the Nice List, a brow raised.

"Jack, please be unfreezing clock now."

"...Sorry. I..I guess that I'm just worried about her. She's _never_ been late, North. Who knows what could have happened to her?"

It was now Bunnymund that raised an eyebrow. "There's a first time for everythin', Frostbite. I sure hope she isn't followin' in your footsteps, though," he said, pointing the paintbrush at the boy for emphasis. "Moon knows that we don't need another you runnin' around and pullin' pranks."

"And _**what**_ is that supposed to mean?!"

Jack asked, a clear threat in his voice. Just as Bunnymund was about to retaliate, however, Tooth stepped in. She didn't want another fight between the two Guardians to break out. And besides, since Lily wasn't there to shut their mouths with a witty remark about the maturity they lacked, it looked like she would have to take on that role for the moment. "If you two are going to start fighting _again,_ " she said, placing herself between the two, "At least take it somewhere else. There are already enough unwelcome emotions in here _**without**_ your help."

This silenced the two, and the female Guardian went back to conversing with Baby Tooth, slightly comforted by the fact that she had stopped the two.

For the moment, at least.

Jack sighed, plopping himself down in a chair. He had a bad feeling. A very bad feeling. Lily was a natural danger magnet. Like he had said a few moments previous, who knows what could have happened to her? He then remembered the incident that had happened a few days before; the last time he had seen her, and flinched. That particular memory wasn't so nice...

* * *

 _"Lil, you can't keep doing this to yourself. You have a limit, you know that."_

 _Jack said, sighing as he shook his head. For what seemed to be the hundredth time that month, he had found Lily passed out in a snowdrift, refusing to wake. There had also been a particularly nasty blizzard in the woods he had found her in. He could put two and two together, it wasn't that hard._

 _Lily scowled in response._

 _"Hey, those pixies were really ticking me off! You know that I'm not as good at controlling my temper as you are, bro. Besides, I've only had a measly five years to do that, and you've had hundreds."_

 _"That doesn't make it okay, Lil. One of these days, your going to end up seriously hurting yourself. I may not be able to find you the next time you create a storm like that, even with the others help."_

 _"Jack, you easily seem to forget that I'm not a little kid anymore! I know how to take care of myself, I've had the past five years to learn, **without** your help!"_

 _She snapped back, crossing her arms over her chest. Jack winced at the sharpness in her tone, but he frowned._

 _"Lily, I know that you were alone, and-"_

 _"And what, Jack?! Your sorry?! Let's see, you and the others practically **abandoned** me for twelve years! You say that you wanted to 'protect' me, but how were you protecting me, hm?!"_

 _She asked, her voice raised so that she was now shouting,_

 _"I was left to fend for myself! And, when I **did** remember, and I tried to contact you guys, get you to talk to me, what did I get? Nothing! It felt like you guys had forgotten all about me, I was just another kid that believed! A power source for you all! Do you know how that feels?! To know that your friends, your **family** is out there, but they don't care?! Do you?!"_

 _She yelled, her irises gaining a yellowish tint around the edges. Jack's own blue eyes widened in surprise at this. But...wasn't Winter gone? He thought so; there hadn't been any sign of Lily's Dark Side in that last couple months that she had been a Guardian. But, before he could reply, in the blink of an eye the aforementioned Guardian Of Strength was gone, leaving only rumpled bedsheets as evidence that anyone had ever been there._

* * *

The Guardian Of Fun was startled awake from the memory by a sharp bell sound. Confused, he looked around before discovering the origins of the noise. Sandy stood in the middle of the room, holding a rather disheveled elf in one hand and shaking it. That, in turn, caused the bell at the top of the hat it wore to ring.

Sanderson did not stop until he had effectively gained the other Guardian's attention. Only then did he release the poor creature from his grasp, and the dizzy elf stumbled for a few moments before falling flat on it's face. Jack winced in sympathy, before looking to his colleague.

"What is it, Sandy?" Nicholas questioned, an eyebrow cocked upwards in curiosity. The Sandman sighed, rolling his eyes before Sand symbols appeared above his head; the only one Jack was able to interpret was a snowflake, Sandy was shooting symbols so fast. The others seemed to understand him perfectly though, and North's other eyebrow rose.

"You know where Lily is?" He asked, and Sandy nodded, stopped, and then shook his head, as if he wasn't sure what to answer. After a minute of this, a golden arrow appeared above his head, pointing upwards. Jack followed it's direction, and saw that it was directing itself towards the moon.

"Manny knows where she is?"

* * *

Nightlight looked at Lily in confusion. By her tone, it sounded like something was wrong. But what? He didn't see anything wrong with her.

The other Guardians present were also confused at this. "Child? What's wrong?" Toothiana questioned, the slightest bit of worry in her tone. Nightlight once again heard the voice in his head. It sounded surprised.

 _She...She's worried? Why does she sound worried? She just met me! But, then again, if this is another version of Tooth, I can see the motherly aspect...But, still, she just met me. And, **why** is that boy staring at me again...?! _

Nightlight was confused once more. Another Queen Toothiana? Was that possible? He was torn away from his thoughts when Lily spoke. This time around, though, he sensed a shakiness behind her words.

"Nothing. Just...seeing things, I guess. Could...Could you tell me who the rest of you are?"

She asked. Ombric blinked a few times in surprise, before nodding. "Yes, yes, sorry. My name is Ombric, Ombric Shalazar." He said, giving a curt nod in the girl's direction. "I am Toothiana. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lily." The third Guardian spoke, smiling softly at the aforementioned twelve-year-old. Sandman was the next to "speak." And by speak, I mean making symbols above his head with dreamsand.

"I am Sanderson, Sanderson Mansnoozie. But, you may call me Sandy if you wish." The smallest of the group informed, earning a smile and a nod from Lily.

"As you already know, the name is Nicholas St. North, and the Bunny-Man is named Bunnymund," North said, not wanting to be left out. Bunnymund simply rolled his eyes, trying his best to ignore the jibe. There was silence for a moment, before Lily said, " What about you? What's your name?" Seeing as the question was a bit subtle, and not being a part of the conversation until now, Nightlight was stunned for a moment.

"His name is Nightlight," North explained, before leaning in and whispering quietly into Lily's ear, "He doesn't talk much."

A few moments later, he was smacked upside the head with a large, green-feathered wing. "Nicholas, at least _try_ to be polite. It is not that hard." Toothiana muttered, frowning at the former Cossack Bandit as if she were scolding a child. To her surprise, though, she heard a giggle come from Lily. She raised an eyebrow,

"Why are you laughing?"

"...No reason. It's just, you remind me of my-er, people I know."

The pre-teen giggled in response. Nightlight smiled when he heard her laugh for the first time since he had seen her. It was at that moment Ombric cleared his throat, effectively gaining their attention. "Well, I think that it is time for us to all rest. It has been a rather long night, and the hour is late." He said, and the others nodded in agreement. One by one, they filed out of the room, each bidding a good night to Lily. Sandman was the last to leave, staring intently at the girl, who was now lying down, eyes lightly closed. He sent a stream of dreamsand in her direction, before exiting the room and quietly closing the door behind him, as not to wake her.

He knew that there was more to this child than meets the eye.

* * *

 _She sat there, tired and in pain. Wet tears ran like rivers down her face, **why didn't they understand?** **Why didn't they listen?** It was an accident. She didn't mean to cause the storm in the middle of Autumn, she didn't know how to control her powers yet. __It was an accident._ _But why did they hurt her? Did she deserve it?_

 _Maybe she did..._

 _It was then that a voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She was afraid to look up, afraid that they had come back to hurt her more. But, she didn't recognize this voice as any of those other spirits. This one seemed..younger._

 _She weakly raised her head up, her scared blue eyes meeting with green ones that seemed laced with concern. She saw that the person in front of her was a boy. He looked to be around her age. Dark brown hair fell messily into his face, while his eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, and his lips turned downwards into a frown._

 _"..._ _Wha' happened t' ye?"_

* * *

 **And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of chapter 3 of _Found And Lost Again._ I hope that you all enjoyed that little scene at the end. **

**We will learn a bit more about the mystery boy in that particular memory in further chapters, don't worry.**

 **Also, comment what you think his accent is, if you can guess.**

 **Sincerely,** **lilyan1994.**


	4. Chapter 4: Why?

**Hey, guys, and welcome to chapter 4 of** ** _Found And Lost Again._** **I hope that you enjoyed the last chapter, and hope that you will enjoy this one, too!**

 **Anyways, on with the chapter!**

* * *

Katherine awoke in her bed with a yawn, and a small smile, ready for the day ahead. After doing her proper morning routine, she exited her room to see another door beside her own, one that hadn't been there before.

Cocking her head to the side in curiosity, she had the urge to see what was behind the door. However, she ignored the feeling and made her way to the main room in Big Root, where she found the other Guardians speaking in hushed tones. The only words she could really make out were "girl" and "Fearlings."

"Good morning," she greeted, sitting down in her respected seat at the table. She received a few nods and "Good Morning's" in response. The others continued to speak quietly while she ate breakfast, and she felt her curiosity eating away at her. Finally, she decided to speak.

"Ombric, what's behind d the door that's next to my room? I'm sure that it wasn't there before."

The elder Guardians glanced at one another, as if silently fighting over who would tell her. Finally, Bunnymund spoke up. "A girl, if you'll believe it. Around your age, I think. She was attacked by Fearlings in the outer rim of the forest," He explained. "Shy thing, she is. Barely spoke when she woke up. Wouldn't tell us where she came from, but apparently her name is Lily, or so she told us."

"Can I meet her?"

Katherine asked almost immediately, the thought of someone new exciting her. Ombric shook his head, chuckling. "Not right now.. I don't think that she's even woken yet. Say, maybe when your finished eating, you can go wake her."

Hearing that, Katherine's excitement grew to the point where it was hard not to practically inhale her breakfast. Once finished, she walked calmly out of the room, out of sight, before racing to the staircase, up the stairs, and to the door. Grasping the doorknob, she slowly turned it, hearing a click. She opened the door, the hinges creaking slightly. As Katherine looked into the doorway, she saw that the room only consisted of a bed.

In the bed, she saw a girl. This girl was indeed around her age, she was fair-skinned(despite a slight paleness) and had what looked to be long, golden brown hair that was messing spread out on the pillow which her head rested upon. Her eyelids fluttered softly as the golden sand that was once above her head slowly began to disappear.

As the girl began to stir, she suddenly stretched and sat up with a yawn. Startled, Katherine quickly ducked by behind the door. However, it closed slightly, and the hinges creaked, while the twelve-year-old mentally cringed.

She hoped that she hadn't been seen.

That hope, however, was immediately dashed when she heard a voice come from inside the room.

"H-Hello? Who's there?"

It asked meekly. _No,_ Katherine thought. _Not meek. **Fearful.**_

Katherine peered around the door, much like a shy child, with how her eyes were cast downwards and she only took a few glances up at the girl every few moments.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up," she apologized as she bit her lip.

"It's okay. I think that I woke me up though," the girl responded with a small smile. "My...My name is Lily. What's yours?" She asked.

"My name is Katherine."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Katherine." There was a moment of tense silence between the two girls, before it was broken by Lily. "Um...I don't mean to be rude, but is there anything to eat? I'm a bit hungry." She said, biting her lip as she looked down at the blankets.

Katherine smiled. "Don't worry, it's alright. We should probably get downstairs, the others will be wondering what's taking the two of us so long."

Looking up from the sheets, Lily allowed a small smile to grace her lips and she slowly pulled the covers back, and made to get up off of the bed. But, as soon as she stood, her legs buckled almost immediately under her. Katherine ran forwards, catching her by the shoulder and lifting her up a bit, trying to steady her. Both the grey-eyed girl's face and tone were laced with concern as she asked Lily if she was alright.

Lily gave a nod, although she could feel pins and needles in her legs. She knew that it would pass in a few minutes, and that it did. But, her legs still wobbled slightly as she walked, so Katherine insisted on holding her arm, just in case the support was needed.

The two girls made their way down the staircase, and into the room that Katherine had left almost ten minutes ago. Nightlight was the only new addition, and he was silent as always. His features showed concern, though, as he saw the hand that Katherine kept on the other girl's forearm.

"Ah, there you are! I was wondering when you would come back," said North with a smile. Lily bit her lip, saying a quiet hello. Noticing the shy edge to the girl's tone, Nicholas gave a knowing smile and gestured for her to come sit down. She did, gently sliding into the chair next to him. Folding her hands in her lap, she was startled as she heard Toothiana speak.

"Lily, do you know if you could tell us a bit more about yourself?" She asked, and as Lily looked up, she saw a reassuring smile on the woman's face.

"Well," she began, once again biting her lip. She would have to stop that habit, she thought. "Like I said last night, my name used to be Lillian, but it was changed a few years ago. I'm twelve," she said, and Nightlight heard that voice in his head again. This time, it said, _And have been for a while._ Though nobody noticed, the spectral boy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What did the voice mean? Was it Lily thinking?

And, if it was...

 _ **Why was he able to hear her?**_

* * *

 _The boy was still there._

 _Why hadn't he left?_

 _After she didn't respond to his question, the boy had sat down beside her, and had barely moved since. It had been a day, too._

 ** _Doesn't this boy have anywhere better to_** _**be?** she thought. As those words ran through her head, though, the boy spoke._

 _"Could ye at least tell me your name?" He asked. She blinked, mildly startled by the question. After all, this boy had been completely silent for the last day._

 _Finally, after a few minutes, she answered. Her voice sounded like she hadn't used it in years, m_ _ost likely because of the screaming._

 _"Lily. My...My name is Lily. At least, he told me it was."_

 _The boy didn't look very surprised, and even smiled._

 _"That be a nice name," he complimented._ _"The name's Jason."_

 _He reached out a hand for her to shake. Cautiously, she took it, and they shook hands. "Jason" let go of her hand before getting up, and dusting himself off. He then, without warning, once again reached his hand out for her to take. She stared at him for a moment, a confused look in her blue eyes._

 _"Well? What're ye waitin' for?"_

 _He asked, a brow raised. "We should probably take a look at those burns. I've gotta say, they don't look very good."_

 _Lily, not knowing whether she would regret this decision or not, grasped his hand and let him pull her to her feet._

* * *

 **And that, dear readers, is the end of chapter 4 of _Found And Lost Again_! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them. **

**Also, please tell me what you guys think of this story. I would really appreciate knowing if I've made any mistakes in this, so u can go back and correct them.**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter!**

 **Yours truly,**

 **lilyan1994**


	5. Chapter 5: (Special Memory Chapter!)

**Hello my readers, and this is Chapter 5 of** ** _Found And Lost Again_** **! I hope you enjoyed that last chapter, and I have a special treat for you all!**

 **This chapter will be mostly Lily's memories. They won't give away much, though, and this may probably be a relatively short chapter.**

 **Anyways, concerning said chapter, let's get on with it, shall we?**

* * *

 _"Jack!" The young girl called, her small legs moving fast as she ran. "Jack! Wait up! You know that I can't run as fast as y-" She cut herself off with a startled yelp as she tripped over a root and went sprawling towards the ground._

 _Right as she was about to hit the snowy earth, though, a pair of arms caught her, her small nose inches from the ground. The arms lifted her back to her feet, and she looked up to see none other than Jackson Overland Frost, her best friend._

 _"Jack!" She shouted, hugging him tightly around the waist. He laughed, "Woah, Lil, calm down. Are you okay?"_

 _He asked, poking her nose. She giggled, responding to his question with a nod before speaking._

 _"Jack, can we go visit North now? Pwease?" She then used her ultimate weapon against him, something that Jack could not resist:_

 _She gave him the puppy dog look._

 _Yes, that was what could make the Spirit Of Winter crumble. I mean, who wouldn't? Lillian was, quite literally, the most adorable thing on earth when she gave him that look. No Guardian was able to resist this look, there was no doubt about it._

 _"No, please don't-"_

 _Jack was cut off by her eyes, which widened in an amazingly innocent way. Another "please" was all it took to seal the deal. Jack, sighed, shaking his head and chuckling. "I swear, Lily, you are gonna be the death of me someday," he muttered. "Alright, w-"_

 _He was, once again, promptly cut off, but this time by a loud "YAY" the erupted from the child. Rolling his eyes, he smiled down at her._

 _But, he wasn't aware of the pair of golden eyes watching him and the girl from the shadows..._

* * *

 _Lily whimpered, she didn't like this scary darkness! She wanted to go home, she wanted to see Jack and the rest of her friends!_

 _As if reading the five year old's mind, a dark chuckle came from in front of the cage she was currently in._

 _"Oh, they'll come, little flower...They'll come..." Said the voice of a man. It sounded close to the cage._

 ** _Too_** _**close.**_

 _"But for now...Sweet **nightmares**."_

* * *

 _"Bunny! Bunny, look what I drew today!" The blue-eyed girl said, trying to gain the Pooka's attention. Aster turned to look at her, his emerald eyes drifting to the piece of paper she held in her small hands._

 _"What's this Lil?" He asked, smiling down at the child. She held the drawing up higher, now standing on the tips of her toes. "See? That's all of us! There's Nick, you, Tooth, Jack and Sandy, and me!" She said excitedly, pointing to each person mentioned._

 _The drawing was done as well as any five year old could draw. But, still, it was rather good. She seemed to have drawn dreamsand animals and eggs. She had even attempted drawing Baby Tooth, and an elf, both surprisingly well done._

 _At the thought of the elves, Bunnymund had to bite back a snort. Those things were undeniably **terrified** of Lily. Whenever she would come close, they would take off. Thinking that they wanted to play a game of tag, she would often chase after them, leading to Bunnymund barely able to contain the laughter that shook him from head to toe._

 _It wasn't like he was trying to be cruel, but every time that one of those elves dared to mess around with his googies, he let Lil run free around the Workshop._

 _What?_

 _Can't a Pooka have a few laughs?_

 _Bunny smiled at her. "That one sure is good, mate. Say, you wanna help me paint some eggs?" He asked. His question was soon answered with an excited nod, and Aster grinned._

 _"Come on then, let's go." As the child was led away deeper into The Warren, The Guardian Of Hope failed to hear the sound of chuckles coming from behind a nearby rock._

* * *

 _A song, a lullaby drifted through the young spirit's mind. She hummed along to the tune as she sat on a branch of her tree._

 _The tree itself resided in front if a school, where children went to learn things like math and science, and they were taught to do something she hated above all else:_

 _They were taught to **grow up**. _

_Why do people even need to grow up? Growing up is stupid. It makes you fear and hate and do awful things just for the purpose of doing those horrid acts._

 _In her perspective, the task of "growing up" was something that took away so many good things. Things that were fun, things like believing in whatever you wanted, telling yourself that you could do anything if you just tried, and being kind._

 _To her, growing up took all of those precious possibilities you dream of as a child away._

 _Most people want to grow up, that she knows. But then, when they finally **are** grown up, those people realize just exactly what they have lost, and then they will do anything to get it back._

 _But..._

 _Then there were The Guardians Of Childhood._

 _They were Grown-Up's, weren't they?_

 _Well, all except for Jack Frost, The Guardian Of Fun. He wasn't an adult, and acted far from it, too._

 _Anyways, back to the point._

 _The Guardians lacked the characteristics that Grown-Up's had._

 _Grown-Up's, otherwise referred to as adults, we're very confusing, and also very mean, Lily observed. That was why she made a promise to herself that she would never grow up and be like those awful Grown-Up's._

 _But, unknown to her, she would have to do some major growing up in the days to come..._

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 5 of _Found and Lost Again_! I know that most of my chapters are only 1000 and something words, but I WILL make them longer in the future, I promise. **

**Anyways, like always, I shall see you all in the next chapter!**

 **Sincerely,**

 **lilyan1994**


	6. Chapter 6: Intruder, And A New Character

**Hello my readers! I now give you chapter 6 of _Found_** ** _And Lost Again_** **! I hope that you liked that last chapter, and, like I promised, I will make my chapters longer.**

 **Anyways, without further adieu, here is Chapter 6!**

* * *

Jason was worried.

 _Very_ worried.

It had been a few years since he had last spoke with Lily. He knew about what had happened, though. The Guardians had made a rather big announcement about their newest member. Jason, he recognized her name immediately.

He was happy, but at the same time...

He wasn't.

For the past few years, every time he thought about her he'd get a slight flutter in his stomach. It was almost as if he was... _nervous._

He would always quickly dismiss this thought, however; He was a pirate, he wasn't _supposed_ to be nervous!

He'd also taken it for something else, but he'd curse the thought to Davy Jone's Locker before he could dwell on it for too long.

It was not the nervous feeling in his stomach at the thought of her, nor was it the fact that they had not talked with each other in so long that made him worried.

It was _The Guardians._

They were all rather worried-looking or nervous lately. The Guardian Of Fun most of all.

Actually, to be completely honest, Jackson Overland Frost seemed to be a nervous wreck as of late.

Jason was Lil's best friend, back when he had first met her. They still were best friends.

At least, in his perspective they were.

So, that was why he decided to... _look in_ on The Guardians. If you asked him, he would swear up and down that he _**was not**_ "spying" on them. However, peeking in through the Globe Room windows and eavesdropping on their conversations could easily be classified as such.

And, it was him trying to sneak into the Workshop that crossed the metaphorical line.

Jason regretted trying to break into the Headquarters, while he was sitting in a locked room in said Workshop. He had quite a lot of time on his hands.

Or, at least, he thought so. That giant beast that had put him in here had not come back for a while, so one could assume that the furry creature was not returning for a long while.

* * *

Something quite... _unexpected_ had happened while the Guardians Of Childhood were having another meeting, this one about how they were going to get Lily from that other universe, and bring her back to their own.

The previously mentioned unexpected happening was Phil barging into the room, saying something or another in the language of the Yeti. Once North had gotten him to stop talking so fast, Phil explained what he ewas trying to say.

North immediately unsheathed his sword. "Phil says that there is intruder in Workshop."

"What's so important about that?" Bunnymund said, frowning.

"It was a boy. He says he knows Lily."

At that, Jack stood up so fast it must have hurt. "Where is he?" You could see the look in his eyes was a dangerous one, but North dismissed it as Jack just being his protective big brother self. Nicholas gestured for Phil to show them where he had put the boy, an the Yeti obliged.

Leading them through the hallways of The Pole, they finally arrived at a door. Pulling a key from seemingly nowhere, Phil inserted it into the keyhole, and turned it, a click resonating through the hall.

Jack was the first to enter, his hands holding onto his staff so hard the wood must have been digging into his palm. Once he had caught sight of the boy, his eyes betrayed his calm façade; He was furious, yet scared at the same time.

The boy in question looked to be around the age of twelve. He had messy, dark brown hair and green eyes. He was fair skinned, and wore a black and white striped shirt, with a black vest overtop; He also had baggy brown pants, and black boots, a dagger sheathed at his belt.

"Who are you, and how do you know Lily?" Jack questioned, and the boy seemed to hesitate before answering.

"My name's Jason, and I'm Lil's friend. I just want t' know where she is."

It can be rest assured that more than a few pairs of eyebrows were being raised at that moment. After all, The Guardians _were_ a bit skeptical, and had a right to be so. But they, somehow, believed him. Most likely because of him using her nickname, but there was something... _else_ about this boy. Like his tone when said her name. He seemed to genuinely care for her wellbeing, they took notice of that.

But, for Jack, North and Bunnymund, something else about him seemed to rub them the wrong way.

But they couldn't detect what it was.

* * *

After Lily had eaten something, she had been persuaded by Katherine to go meet the children of Santoff Claussen.

However, North had suggested that before they did, Lily should try and make herself look a bit more presentable. As he said this, Nightlight and Sanderson snickered silently, while Lily went red, clearly embarrassed.

Katherine rolled her eyes, while Toothiana sent a withering glare towards Nicholas, which only made the former bandit laugh. "Come now, Your Highness, it is true. Would you rather I had met you in my nightclothes?"

"I would rather have met you with your cockiness toned down a bit," the Queen muttered, resulting in the two other girl's in the room giggling, as it was now North's turn to go red. Muttering incomprehensible words under his breath (occasionally uttering words that you should not use around ladies, and I shall not repeat here).

Katherine then took Lily up to her room, making an offer to let the girl borrow some of her clothes, an offer to which Lily had accepted.

After changing into a fresh pair of clothes, Lily brushed out her hair before putting it into her usual braids. When she had come out, Katgerine had almost _literally_ dragged her outside, much to Ombric, North, and Nightlight's amusement.

The Guardian Of Strength was heavily under the suspicion that Katherine was suffering from over-excitement.

* * *

 _Watching._

 _Always._

 _Just._

 _Watching._

 _She could do nothing. Only watch. This girl didn't deserve those horrid things that were done to her._

 _She wanted to stop them every time, but couldn't._

 _She could only watch and wait._

 _Wait for the girl to find her place in the world._

 _Who is she?_

 _She's one of the forgotten._

 _Merely a ghost of her former self, quite literally._

 _A shell._

 _She's been watching for so long._

 _She watched as the girl was found, the years of being lost left in the past._

 _She watched as a man, once lost to the depths of fear and hatred, was saved after a millennia of being the King Of Nightmares._

 _But then, she had to watch as the one she had sworn to protect was lost once again._

 _She is still watching._

 _Hoping to keep her vow, she had gone with the child Guardian to make sure that no harm came to her._

 _And now, she watches as Katherine takes her to meet the children._

 _"Be careful," she whispers to Lily, and the child looked up briefly, confused as to where the voice had come from._

 _She sighed, watching as Lily was pulled away by Katherine._

 _She was this Guardian's Guardian, and would be until she was no longer needed._

 _What is her name?_

 _Her name is..._

 ** _Lillian_** _**Bartlett**._

* * *

 **There you go, guys, a bit of a longer chapter! Yes, I know that there may be many questions to be answered. But, they shall be answered in due time, so worry not. Anyways, I'm afraid that I must bid you all adieu.**

 **Yours truly,**

 **lilyan1994**


	7. Chapter 7: The Truth Can Hurt

**Hello and welcome to Chapter 7! You aren't getting a longer chapter this time, sorry. Anyways, on with the chapter!**

To say the least, Jason was upset when he found out about the events leading up to Lily becoming a Guardian.

Actually, to be completely honest, he felt like hitting someone, especially if that someone was Jack. He had **_no_** right to keep Lily's memories from her! Nothing could justify what he had done! As he was about to state this, however, the aforementioned boy quickly cut him off.

"I know, I know, I was an idiot. You don't have to tell me that, the Kangaroo already did about a thousand times." Jack muttered.

"...Fine. But, how are we supposed to get her back?" Jason asked. He looked more worried that angry now, that was for sure.

"That...We aren't exactly sure of yet."

"Then how in the name of Davy Jones' Locker are we supposed to get Lil back?!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in Santoff Claussen, there were a few surprises from Lily that greeted The Guardians. She was, to all The Guardians' surprise, very good with children. The practically flocked to her, they would seek her out when they were scared. Not only that, but she was naturally comfortable around them, she loved helping them out and playing their games.

When confronted about this, she would suddenly become...nervous. Reluctant, even. The only answer that she would give was a mere,

"You can learn a thing or two if you're invisible for long enough."

This highly confused all of them. What did she mean, _invisible_?

A week after Lily's arrival in Santoff Claussen, it was evident that something horrid must have been plaguing her thoughts. She would constantly look over her shoulder, as if afraid that something was there. She would jump at the slightest sound. Nightlight seemed to know that something was up, but, if he did, he wasn't about to tell.

It was as if he was...protecting, something.

...A secret, perhaps...?

Lily sat in a tree, watching the children below her play with an almost sad look on her face. For the first time, she had turned down their offer to play, claiming that she was a little tired and would join in later.

She was silent for a long while, so, Nightlight's tap on her shoulder scared the hell out of her. She jumped so high she almost landed on the next branch, giving a loud yelp. Nightlight laughed his bell-like laugh, smiling at her.

She glared at him for a few moments, but sighed and chuckled.

"Alright, alright, ya' got me. Why're you not playing with the kids?"

Nightlight remained silent, as always. Then, Lily hears a voice in her head, and her eyes go wide. It was so otherworldly, so unreal...she couldn't believe that she was hearing it.

 _"...Can you hear me, Small One?"_

Thinking that it was the most appropriate way of answering, she thought back,

 _"Y-Yeah..."_

 _"...You are not like the other Small Ones. You know things that most would not. ...Tell me, Lily. What happened to you in the past?"_

Nightlight asks. Lily bites her lip.

 _"You'll...You'll call me crazy..."_

 _"No, I will not. There is something that haunts you. Something that scares_ _you_. _We can help you. But, only if you let us."_ Lily scowls at him.

 _"I don't need your help. I can take care of myself. I have for years, it isn't exactly new to me."_

Her eyes go wide a few seconds later, and she looked away from Nightlight, who was staring at her in what looked to be surprise.

Wait...did she mean...?

 _"...You don't have a family, do you?"_ Lily looks torn between ignoring him and answering. Finally, she sighs.

 _"...Yes...And no. It's...Complicated."_

 _"...I understand if you do not wish to speak about it. But, we will find out soon enough. And it would be better if you told us yourself."_

"...Alright...I-I'll tell you...But, you have to promise me that you won't tell the others. Please."

She whispered. Nightlight looked hesitant for a moment, before giving a firm nod. He needed to find out what exactly was haunting this Small One, before something bad happened.


End file.
